Roddick rips French Open broadcaster for asking Sabalenka to dance

A former American tennis star was stunned when Aryna Sabalenka was asked to dance after defeating Naomi Osaka at the French Open.

A strange scene occurred at Roland-Garros when broadcaster and former player Fabrice Santoro asked Sabalenka, who defeated Osaka in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, to dance with the audience. He even asked for music to be played.

Sabalenka was hesitant at first but accepted, but this was a confusing situation for many in the tennis industry, including Andy Roddick.

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Roddick, who won the only Grand Slam title in his career at the 2003 US Open, spoke about Santoro’s request on the “Served” podcast.

“I like her, but I’m like, ‘Will you dance for us?’ I ask. This is such a weird thing to ask. I don’t like it,” Roddick said. “And then doing that for a bit and then when it’s all over, asking her to go for a moonwalk….I don’t know. Maybe people liked it and I might be in the minority.”

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Moonwalk’s question came as Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller” was played on speakers at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Roddick said he understood the “personality aspect” of how post-match interviews were conducted but could not get over it.

“I thank him for doing that, but I thought it was strange. I think it’s a very strange thing to ask someone to do that in a professional setting.”

Former tennis player Andy Roddick hosts the Served podcast live from the Fan Zone during day two of the Laver Cup 2025 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on September 20, 2025. (Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

It is worth noting that Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, who were surprisingly upset in their last match at Roland-Garros, were in competition with post-match celebration dances throughout the French Open.

But that ended when Djokovic lost his third-round match against 19-year-old Spaniard Joao Fonseca, who came from 2-0 down to win in a thrilling five sets.

But there have been moments in the past where viral reactions have been sought in these post-match situations, and some of them have felt disturbing or strange.

Roddick clearly saw this to be true, and Sabalenka will need to push at least one more match as she searches for her first French Open victory.

Aryna Sabalenka dances to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” during her post-match interview after defeating Naomi Osaka in the fourth round on Day Nine of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on June 1, 2026 in Paris, France. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

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The 28-year-old athlete, who is currently the world’s No. 1 in women’s singles, has four Grand Slam singles titles, including two wins at the US Open in 2024 and 2025. He also took home the Australian Open title in 2023 and 2024.

Sabalenka will face No. 25 Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 6:10 a.m. ET.